Vietnam Mobilizes VND378.24T for Poverty Reduction, Rural Development in H1

Vietnam had mobilized nearly VND378.24 trillion ($16.2 billion) from various sources for poverty reduction and rural development programs in the first half (H1) of this year, according to a meeting of the central steering committee for national target programs in Hanoi on July 25. Deputy Minister of Labor-Invalids and Social Affairs Le Quan said the household poverty rate is set to reduce to 4.5% at the end of 2019, meeting the target set by the National Assembly, the country’s highest legislative body. However, poverty elimination remains unsustainable because aside from poverty relapse, the rate of new poor households is high. Meanwhile, the wealth gap has widened to ten times in 2018 from 9.7 times in 2014, he added. Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue, head of the committee, expressed his concern that there are 18 new poor households per 100 which already escaped from poverty. The target of lifting all households of revolutionary contributors out of deprivation in 2019 is also a challenge now. Without efforts, this target will remain unachievable even in 2020, he noted. As of the end of 2018, Vietnam’s poverty rate dropped by 1.35 percentage points from that in 2017 to 5.35%, according to the Ministry of Labor-Invalids and Social Affairs. (Vietnam PlusEnglish, Tin Tuc, Bao Chinh Phu, Tuoi Tre, Dan Viet, BNews, Bao Chinh Phu, Tin Tuc, Nhan Dan, VTV, Dan Tri, Kinh Te Do Thi, giaoduc, Enternews, VietnamNet, thanhtra)